Process of making enameled articles.



W. L. SHEPARD.

PROCESS OF MAKING ENAMELED ARTICLES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 28, 1912.

1,072,047. Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

WALTER L. SHEPARD, F MELROSE, MASSACHUSETTS.

PELOCESS OLE MAKING ENA'MELED ARTICLES.

Tim? 2, 194% specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

Application filed June 28, 1912. Serial No. 706,459.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER L. SHEPARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Melrose, county of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Processes of Making Enameled Articles, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to a novel process for making enameled articles as for instance jewelry, souvenir buttons, name plates and the like which are ornamented by having upon their surface designs made from enamels of difi'erent colors. Such articles, whether champlev or cloisonn heretofore have been made with the enameled areas of diilerent colors separated from each other by a metal partition, the edge of which is generally visible on the surface of the finished article and appears as a narrow line of metal between the adjacent areas. In cases where it has been desired to produce a narrow line of enamel of a difierent color from the enamel in the adjacent areas, the lineness or narrowness of the line of enamel has been limited by the fact that it must be inclosed between the two metallic partitions. It has therefore been found practically impossible to make fine lines of enamel or delicate tracery by either the champlev or cloisonn processes.

I have found that, by the employment of my new process it is possible to produce an enameled article in which the edges of adjacent areas of enamel of contrasting colors actually abut each other without any intervening metallic partition, the line of division between the two being clean and smooth. It is therefore possible by the employment of my novel-method to do finer work than has heretofore been possible, and produce effects which have heretofore been unattained. In the articles produced by my novel process, there is no line of metal between the adjacent areas of contrasting enamels.

The invention will be fully understood from the following-description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the novel features will e pointed out and clearly defined in the claims at the close of the specification.

Referrin to the drawings Figure 1 shows a metallic ase ready for the application of the enamel. Fig. 2 is a section on line a e of Fig. 1. 'Figs. 3, 4t and 5 are similar sections showing successive steps in the process. Fig. 6 is a view of the finished article. Flg. 7 is a view of a similar article, illus trating the application of the process in the production of fine lines of enamels of contrasting colors, Figs. 8 to 11 are sections showing the successive steps in the production of the article shown in Fig. 7.

In Fig. 1 is shown a recessed metal base 11 prepared for the production of the enamel shield shown in Fig. 6, the finished shield having a field or ground .13 of red enamel and on it in white the letter I in a broad block letter (numbered 12), the whole shield being surrounded by an edge or border 14.- of metal..' The metal base 11 is stamped or died so that there is a raised rim 14 around the edge of the base and a partition or ribbon 15 around the figure which is to be produced in enamel. The partition or ribbon 15 is fixed with relation to the base 11, and is preferably formed integral therewith, as shown in the drawing. This base is formed exactly as for champlev work. The field 13 which is to be formed of red enamel is then filled in with the enamel powder and the article is fired in the usual way to cause the enamel to flow and fill the area of the field. Thereafter. the partitions 15 are removed, preferably being treated with acid, portions which it is desired to have remain being covered with suitable wax or enamel. The article in this condition is shown in Fig. 3, the space between the two partitions being shown covered with enamel, so that the acid will attack only the partitions 15. In doing this work, I have found it frequently convenient to use a thin coating of enamel to protect the metal portions because it may readily be removed by stoning, The condition of the article after having acid to remove the partitions 15 is shown in Fig. 4. The space between the two sides of the field of red enamel 13 is then filled with white enamel powder, as shown at 18, and the article is again fired or baked to flow this portion of the enamel. The edges of the two areas of enamel are then in contact with each other and their top surfaces are substantially on a level. After this, the article is stoned and polished. The process described results in an article having two adjacent fields of enamels of contrasting colors, the edges at the said fields being in been treated with contact with each other and not being separated by any metallic partition. The line of demarcation between the two adjacent areas of enamel is sharp and clean, and therefore the ornamentation on the article has an appearance not heretofore found in enameled goods.

Referring now to Fig. 7, there is there shown a shield having a field of red enamel 23 upon which is produced the letterl (designated 21) in fine white lines. The form of the metal base for the production of this article is shown in Fig. 8, there being a single fixed partition 22 of metal. In Fig. 9, the ground is shown as having been filled with the red enamel powder and baked to form the area 23 of red enamel. Then the partition is removed, leaving a space 24: between the two portions of the field 23. This space 24 is filled in with white enamel 25, see Fig. 11, and the whole fired and stoned in the manner previously described. By making the partition 22 very thin or narrow, a very fine line of enamel may be produced. In this manner delicate tracery or other ornamentation may be produced.

Ti desired, a portion of the work may be made according to my process, while other portions of the work are made according to the old and well known champlev or cleisonn process, leaving the metallic partitions between the difierent areas of enamel. In this manner, the efiect of the metal partition may be had in certain portions of the work, while in other portions or the work the delicate effect of the enamel tracery may be made use of. 7

Th the foregoing specification, l have referred to the removal of the partition by the use of acid because that is the manner in which l have in actual practice per formed this step in the process, but some novaoav color, This process isinapplicable to small articles such as jewelry for the reason that an uneven surface .is thereby produced which cannot be stoned to a level without removing the superposed enamel and destroying the pattern.

W hat ll claim is:

l. The improved process of making enameled articles which consists in making a recessed base having fixed metallic parti tions, dividing it into areas, filling some of the areas with enamel, firing the enamel, removing the partitions, filling the remaim ing areas or spaces with enamel and firing the areas last filled.

2. The improved process of making enameled articles which consists in making a recessed base having fixed partitions which divide the said base into areas, filling some of the areas with enamel, firing the enamel, removing the partitions with acid, filling the remaining areas with enamel and firing the areas last filled.

lln testimony whereof ll allix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

WALTER L. SHEPARD.

Witnesses:

Gnonen 1P, Dmr, Amen H, Memuson, 

